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Monthly Archives: February 2014

Current status: Maintenance mode successful! Still 123 lbs, same as January.

My focus has shifted towards building endurance and physical strength for longer running. I am still really in love with trail running. All new, shiny, and exciting to me. I want to have to take less walking steps when I go trail running. I’ve gotten really good at it – my speed is still pretty slow (12 minute miles avg) but I am walking less each time. One issue was the last two runs I got searing stitches in my side during a stretch of the run. I ran through them for the most part, but for each I had to stop for a couple minutes and breathe very deeply to work them out. I read a few things and it seems that my problem is most likely that I’m not breathing deeply enough. I was told by another person I have gone trail running with that I should keep uneven breaths in and out so I don’t always exhale on the same foot, like counting 4 in, 3 out. It hadn’t really dawned on me that breathing a certain way could be so important, beyond just you know… remembering to breathe. There is a very steep mountain on the trail I typically run, and I have been working on trying to run up more of it. I can run up a few of the switchbacks now, and I also take more opportunities to run for short distances up a few of the less steep portions. Progress! I’m sure someday my goal will be to aim for lower run time but for now, just doing it has me feeling proud and accomplished!

Here’s my morning playground

Gorgeous. That’s South Mountain in Phoenix. It’s cool seeing the sun rise while I’m out there running over rocks. Just an exhilarating way to begin a day. My schedule will be changing again, so I sadly won’t be able to do this before work soon. I plan to still work it into my week on one of my days off, it just means less opportunities to hit it.

The never-ending cycle of dri-fit (or similar) clothes to be washed and hung dry.

I’m sick at the moment. It drives me crazy, I want to get out and do something outside because the weather here is amazing. But I’m stuck here in my home, constructing a tissue mountain. Lame.

My husband got me another pair of BlackMilk leggings for Valentines. He’s the best. I am obsessed with these leggings, and how my get-away-sticks look in them.

Went to Renaissance Festival. I love it, I get totally nerdy with my husband and we even dress up. Whatever, it’s my guilty pleasure and my husband looks HOT in a kilt. I have a before/after photo of me dressed up. The left was 2012. The right was last weekend. At least 40 lb difference there.